Doula vs. Midwife

The most common question I get is, "what is the difference between a doula and a midwife?"

A midwife is a medical provider who looks after the medical care of the mom and baby. They are for low-risk pregnancies and can support a home or birth center birth. Some hospitals employ hospital-based midwives. Your midwife is the person who is medically responsible for delivering your baby and is trained to do so. Every state in the United States has varying laws around midwifery and it is important to do your research about the laws required for practicing midwifery in your state.

A doula is a non-medical support and an additional person for your birth team. A doula can provide emotional support, education, holistic comfort measures for pain, birth education, and advocacy for the preferred birth plan. A doula can support hospital-based births, home births, or birth center births. A doula can support any birth plan including c-section births, epidural births, inductions, unmedicated, you name it. Your doula is there to support the birthing person and does not replace the partner but instead is an addition to the birth team.

I am a Stillwater, Oklahoma based doula and also a yoga teacher. I love teaching pregnant people how to practice safe prenatal yoga to help prepare the body for birth!

If you' live in Oklahoma and would like a recommendation for a midwife I can make you a great referral! I know incredible midwives who serve Stillwater, Perkins, Cushing, Perry, Guthrie, Edmond, OKC Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Broken Arrow, and Jenks.